A variety of point of sales packages for cassette tape cartridges, also referred to as "cassettes", "tapes", "tape cartridges", and so on are known in the art. Typically, a cassette tape cartridge is sold in a small rigid plastic box which conforms substantially to the size and shape of the cartridge. This small rigid plastic box is commonly referred to as a "Norelco" box. Other types of packaging conforming substantially to the size and shape of the cartridge have also been used as a point of sales package, either in addition to the "Norelco" box or alone. Due to the small size of a cartridge, typically about 4".times.2-1/2".times.1/2", "Norelco" boxes and other packaging arrangements which conform substantially to the size and shape of a cartridge allow the tapes to be easily stolen since they can be readily and unobtrusively slipped into a pocket or purse. In fact, shoplifting or theft of cassette tape cartridges from the point of sales has been a significant problem for cassette tape retailers.
Various attempts have been made to alter the packaging of casette tape cartridges to make theft of the tapes more difficult.
One solution to the theft problem has been to mount a tape cartridge on a larger cardboard backing of a size difficult to slip into a pocket or purse. However, it became apparent that shoplifters were merely folding the cardboard over to create a smaller and more easily stolen package.
Another solution to the theft problem has been to package the tapes in a larger box made of rigid injection molded plastic. The box is typically of a size too large to easily fit into a pocket or purse. The rigidity of the plastic makes it difficult to fold the package into a smaller size for easy concealment and theft. However, these boxes tend to be prohibitively expensive, due in part to the injection molding process.
Several years ago, in an attempt to provide a theft-resistant package which was less expensive than the injection molded plastic variety, the recording industry introduced a relatively large box made of paperboard. The box was about 12".times.4".times.3/4", designed to hold one "Norelco" box containing a casette tape cartridge. The size of the box made it difficult to steal, and the stiffness of the paperboard made the package somewhat difficult to fold to a smaller size for easier theft. The large amount of surface area was useful for describing and promoting the recording within. However, several drawbacks became apparent with this type of packaging. First, due to their dimensions, the paperboard boxes proved to be too bulky for efficient shipping and warehousing, from the time the box was manufactured until the tape was inserted and offered for sale. Second, the packages were preprinted to correspond to a particular recording. To be sure of having sufficient packaging on hand, it was necessary to order large quantities of preprinted packaging for a single recording. The recording industry typically prefers to order printed insert material which can be seen when viewing the box, rather than printing directly on the package. In this way, any package can be used with any recording; only the insert will vary. The time involved in receiving a reorder for preprinted packaging is substantially greater than the time involved in receiving a reorder of printed inserts. Thus, printed packaging must be ordered in advance to insure its availability when the recording sells, while printed inserts can be ordered in small quantities at frequent intervals, even two or more times per day, to correlate with the rising and falling consumer demand for a particular recording. In this way, the industry is typically free of excess printed matter when a recording's popularity drops off. A major drawback of the preprinted paperboard boxes is the necessity of advance ordering and the resulting inventory which may be wasted when a recording stops selling.
Thus, the recording industry still has need of a theft resistant, inexpensive, easy-to-ship point of sales packaging for cassette tapes. It is to these needs and the above-described deficiencies in the art that the invention in accordance with the present application is directed.